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Battle Plan thrived during his time off and he is ready to open a campaign aimed toward the lucrative age group races.
“He’s come back really well and put on about 30 kilos,” Pukekohe trainer Dean Wiles said. “He looks outstanding and I want to start him off in the lower grades first and then look at some of the better three-year-old races later on.”
Last season, Battle Plan finished third behind Maritimo on debut in the Listed Wellesley Stakes and following two unplaced runs he was spelled.“He ran against some pretty good horses, but he wasn’t a two-year-old type,” Wiles said. “We gave him a good break and he’s really grown into himself now.”
Wiles was keen to run Battle Plan in the Marks Ewen & Associates Maiden at Tauranga on Friday, but like a number of trainers he is now in two minds with the prospect of a Heavy 11 surface.“I would have been pretty confident on a decent track, but with the way it is anything could happen,” he said.
“He’s much better on top of the ground and he has to kick off somewhere, but I’ve no idea if he will handle it this wet. I’ll talk to the owner tonight and make a decision on whether we run.”A half-brother to the Gr.3 Thompson Handicap winner Al Farouk, Battle Plan is raced by the Singapore-based Sam Soo.
“I’ve had quite a few horses for him before they went up to Singapore,” Wiles said.